Zelda's Nightmares
by hollowmagic
Summary: Zelda and behind the scenes during her most awful moments in life. Takes place in Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask.


Zelda has seen many things. Though at just a mere age of eleven, she has witnessed the many cruel things life offers. She was no fool. The looks on people's faces when they are sentenced to death is something she'll never forget. How wide their eyes go, how they go speechless and their jaws slack, the way they thrash, flail, and plead as they're dragged away to the inevitable.

_How_, she often ponders, _how can someone so evil, someone who has done crimes for their own enjoyment, be so pitiful when the words are said out loud?_

Zelda's mother, when she was alive, thought these happenings were too much for her to handle. And it was, to a certain degree. She recalls the time an executioner was nearly slaughtered right before her eyes. Had it not been for Impa, the criminal might have gone after her, too. He was screaming, cursing at the young princess like she was responsible for everything that has gone wrong in his life. Fighting back against the arms restraining him, like a bull charging at her, saying he'll kill her, and a disturbingly detailed speech about how he'll torture her.

There is more to it, but she'd rather not remember. It scares her enough just thinking about what he said. How can someone be so evil, even though they were born innocent?

Zelda's mother taught her a lullaby that makes her feel better. When everything seemed to go wrong, her mother would sing for her, and all her problems seemed to wash away. She wondered, back then, if anyone else has her luck.

"Impa," she mumbled, staring hopelessly in the fountain water. A distorted reflection from the ripples stare back. She doesn't know if Impa can even hear her when she asks, "Why do people want to kill me?"

The Sheikah makes a noise of surprise. "Who said they wanted to?" Her tone is dangerous, a lethal blade in the shape of a voice.

"That man. He said he wants me dead." Her finger pokes and prods the water, the man's earlier words coming back verbatim. "Do they all want me to die?"

"No," is Impa's immediate answer. It made her want to kill that man again, if it were possible. To put such terrible thoughts into her princess's head is something she'll never forgive. "That man was unstable. The people in town love you, as do I." The Sheikah rubs the Hylian girl's back with a small grin.

Zelda often wonders, now, if Impa was lying.

When she visits the Castle Town, she waves to the people among her. Skimming over their appearances, she ponders over who in this crowd is willing to assassinate her. She wants to go home, she decides, and she tells Impa, giving her no reason. She doesn't feel safe here. Not anymore.

Zelda does not leave her room for the next three days. Hyrule Castle, her home and birthplace, does not feel safe in the slightest. Not like it used to. It's comfortable, homey vibe it once held is gone. There's fear in her heart every time she opens her closet door, like she's expecting someone to jump at her and kill her right there. But it never happens, and that's the scariest part- when will it happen? When and who will eventually come for her?

She's not herself, and she knows it. What's wrong with her? Things are not the same.

'_I'll kill you,'_ _he screams, the guards fruitlessly attempting to silence him. He doesn't stop his threats, even after he's beaten and bruised. _

Zelda has nightmares that haunt her throughout the day.

Most of the time she finds herself waking up in a cold sweat, breathe heavy, and the dream fresh in her mind. It's always awful, remembering to convince herself that they're not real. It's always a pain. Zelda never tells Impa about her dreams, not ever. Impa's job is to protect her, not baby her over some lousy nightmare.

"Princess," Impa says, an uncharacteristic tone of worry in her voice. She's brushing Zelda's hair when she notices the bags under the girl's eyes. "Have you been sleeping well?"

Zelda does not reply immediately. Her eyes are cast down, as if in shame. Hands folded on her lap, sapphire eyes droopy, Zelda brings on a small, fake grin. It almost scares Impa to see her princess put on such a horrible facade.

"I am fine, Impa. I merely have trouble getting into my comfort zone at night."

"I do not appreciate being lied to," Impa retorts. "A good princess does not lie."

"Yes, Impa."

"Everyone is worried," the woman decides to say. It was the truth. The King, the guards, the maids, everyone acquintained to the princess has felt uneasy about her, including Impa. "Please, if something is troubling you, do not wait to tell me."

But Zelda knows. Impa probably hates this job. She hates this nonsense, having to get answers out of her and even knowing when there's a fallacy in her words. Impa is suffering during work hours, Zelda believes. Surely she does not want to be an even bigger nuisance?

"I am well."

Silence follows her words, and she tenses.

"...If you insist." Impa says it with utmost reluctance.

The princess releases a sigh she hadn't known she was holding. In the mirror, she sees Impa watching the floor off to the side. She feels guilty about lying to her, when she is the most trustworthy person she has ever met. When Impa leaves let Zelda dress herself, Zelda locks the door, and does not open it again for the rest of the day.

_This time, it's a woman who committed a hate crime. She is sentenced to prison for twenty-five months. Zelda is there when the lady shoots a hateful glance in her direction, and she doesn't miss it. Those eyes held pure bloodlust. That lady...Zelda never learned what she did, but she was grateful no blood would be spilled. _

_It's against the strict rules Zelda follows, but one night she decides to sneak into the prison. 'The place where sinners are detained.' It takes a while to get past the guards, and such a hassle it was, but finally, she finds a secret entrance to the place. Someone must have escaped and left his trail behind._

_Filthy. The first word that comes to her mind is filthy when she shines the lantern around. Rats, an old draft, and the sickening smell of rotting meat. She hopes that isn't human meat she's smelling. _

_A rag over her nose, Zelda explores this unknown cavern. The people behind the bars are sleeping, or at least she hopes they are. A couple of them are sitting upright, and one even throws himself, clawing at the girl through the bars like a starved zombie. It takes her a minute to realize that it was no human. A Redead is in the castle prison. It's dreadful moaning spooks her into shock, it's bones poking around the skin and ribs visible. And, good Hylia, the _smell.

_Zelda retches, stepping back from the monster, and prepares to run for her life, when suddenly-_

"_...Zelda…"_

_She freezes, her heart jolting in her chest. Her eyes widen as she slowly turns back to the source of the voice. Through the groaning and pained moans, a weak and shaky voices comes from the same Redead._

"_...H-Hahh...Z-Zelda…..!"_

_It scares her when the voice sounds familiar._

"_..O-Oh, ohh…" Its sounds are almost demonic. "Save me, my sweet Zelda…" A skeletal hand reaches for her. "...I'll kill you," and her blood runs stone cold, "if you don't...save me, I'll k-kill you…"_

"_W-What?"_

_The light makes more of its appearance visible. There are no eyes. Hollow sockets and rotting, yellow teeth. It's a nightmare-ish image, the what's-left of the skin having turned a freakishly dark yellow._

_It grins at her, big and ugly. A drop of water splashes somewhere down the hall, echoing in her ears. The flame flickers lightly; she almost dropped it._

"_..Key," it mumbles, pointing into the darkness of the hall. "The key." The arm trembles in the air, looking as it would fall off right there. Teeth marks are etched into it, all of them either red or yellow, horribly infected._

_It wants the key. It wants her to free it. The cries for help overwhelm her, and she almost vomits when she sees a group of maggots crawl out from the thing's nostrils. Zelda, horrified and frozen, can't seem to find the courage in her to move._

"_The key...m-my dear," it inhales deeply, "please get...the k-key…"_

"_...I can not," she finds herself saying, "I must be going-"_

"_No!" The bars rattle as it grips them tightly, shaking them brutally and sending the girl jumping five feet in the air. "Don't go!"_

_Zelda wastes time no longer and bolts out of there. She drops the lantern and crawls through the exit like a scurrying rat, the rattling pounding her eardrums all the way. Once she's out, she keeps going, all the way back to her room, not stopping even when the royal guards call to her. She slams the door behind her and locks it. _

_It's going to kill her. It said if she didn't free it, it'll kill her._

"Princess," a maid calls from behind the closed door. "You have a visitor. He is a man of the desert who has come to make amends with your father."

"The desert?" It caught Zelda's attention and, in her opinion, seemed somewhat odd.

"Yes. He is the king of the Gerudo, born once every one hundred years. He wishes to see you."

Zelda felt her brows pinch. Surely this was good news, right? Nowadays Hylians and the Gerudo were on edge about each other, and some of the statements that were exchanged could start an entire war. What the two races really need is peace. The Gerudo are a savage tribe that consists only of women, but rumors say they visit the Castle Town to find boyfriends.

The princess is skeptical when she lays eyes on the Gerudo King. A man in black with red hair, surely a trait the Gerudo hold. He is big and burly, and is accompanied by two Gerudo women with spears. Their hateful glares overwhelm the Royal Guards. The man gives a sign to the girls, and they both nod and dismiss themselves from the throne room.

Zelda feels uneasy in her throne, accompanied by Impa at her side. Something doesn't feel right when the man looks at her. His desert-yellow eyes don't look or feel right, and his sly smile puts her on edge. Her father, however, greets the man.

"Greetings. You may speak."

"It is my honor," the man says on one knee. "My name is Ganondorf. I've come to realize the plight between our races, and find that it is outright incomprehensible. In a time of peace like this, I want to fix our differences and set this nonsense aside. I blame myself responsible for any trouble we, the Gerudo, have caused you."

Silence follows for a few moments before the King of Hyrule smiles at the man. "Bwahahaha! My, my! Not often do I see a man who has come to good senses!" His good-hearted laugh surprises Zelda. Does he not sense what she feels? This must be some sort of trap, she knows it...nothing about this man speaks of good. The closest thing she can describe him is…

"I accept your approach," the King of Hyrule says. "However, I am curious to know how you expect to fix the damage that has already been done. How could I, the King of this blessed land, turn down an offer of peace?"

Ganondorf ponders the idea and answers, "I shall accompany you here. The people of this land must come to realize our squabble has ended. I look forward to working with you to let Hyrule, the land of peace, thrive in one of its best times in history."

Zelda's father accepts Ganondorf's further contributions, but she did not falter in her wariness. During their conversation, Ganondorf turned his eyes to her and his smile grew an inch or two.

"And you," he says with a rather creepy tone. "My, the rumors are true. You truly are the most beautiful maiden in this land."

His words dance around her like fire, and it made her angry. Very, very angry. Angrier than she had ever been before. As if on reflex, Zelda clenches her fist and shouts back, "Shut it, two-face!" Ganondorf's smile fades in an instant.

The guards, maids, Impa and the king gasp. "Zelda!" her father yells, strong and vexatious. It's a tone she's never heard before, rather he's more astounded than upset. "How could you?! This man is welcoming peace to our land! You must have-"

"I don't believe a word you say!" Zelda interrupts her father and slams her fists on the armrests. Her heart is pounding out of her body. Ganondorf doesn't even wince at her outburst. Zelda will _not_ let this man wrap her around his finger, no matter what it takes.

Her father grabs her and tells her to be quiet and how important Ganondorf is. "Good Hylia, Zelda, what has happened to you?! That's not the language a princess shall use!"

"Father-"

"Zelda!"

His words silence her like a hammer, and soon Impa's follow. Briskly, the king turns back to the Gerudo and is apologizing at top speed. Well, this was certainly not what Ganondorf expected. Though, he figured, it _does_ make things a little more interesting.

He chuckles lowly and waves the situation away. "Such wonderful features, but with such a foul mouth. I do hope that, in the near future, we shall create a bond that makes us inseparable." Ganondorf stands. "It was a pleasure, your highness, making your acquaintance. Shall we discuss further matters later?"

"Y-Yes," the king says, still a little shaken by his daughter's unexpected shrill. "Faya, Mihana, please escort this man to his room." Two maids nod from the sides of the room and lead Ganondorf out.

"You mustn't!"

The maids stop and turn to the princess. She's risen from her seat and is glaring daggers at all three of them. Impa isn't sure what to do, attempting pathetically to calm the girl down.

"If you let that man go, both of you shall be exiled!"

"Princess...!" Impa is panicking, the king is fuming.

Faya and Mihana are filled with dread. Ganondorf, grinning, listens to the princess's plea. The throne room is suddenly in an uproar, the king is yelling, Impa is telling him to calm down, the maids are debating what to do in a state of panic, and the guards are wondering if they should do something. On Ganondorf's side, things are really starting to get interesting. As long as those words come from the mouth of a child, nothing shall interfere with his plan.

Everything began to settle down when the king finally managed to quiet his daughter. Zelda was beyond upset. The maids were grateful, however, for they would get to keep their jobs. Princess Zelda's cry vanishes when Ganondorf steps out of the door.

_That man…!_

Zelda can't hear Impa talking to her, dismissing her to her room. The feeling of dread has grown stronger, so strong it was nearly painful to think, move, or speak. After years of suffering, hiding, isolating herself, Zelda's nightmares have finally come true.

That man..._he_ is the one who has come to kill her…!

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**Reviews would be nice. I'll work on chapters if I have time, but I might have them as separate stories. Thanks for reading.**


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